It’s been nearly half a century since a group of childhood friends from the Orchard Park public housing projects in Roxbury, Boston got together to form a vocal group inspired by Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. Now, those lifelong friends are on the cusp of induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and it sounds like the joyous culmination of a long dream.

“It feels incredible,” charter New Edition member Bobby Brown told the Boston Globe in a recent interview after the 2026 RRHOF nomination class was announced last month. “Just knowing that our prayers are being answered and everything is going in the direction that we had hoped for, and we wished upon, and we worked hard for … it’s a great thing … we’re really happy to be a part of this.”

The recognition for New Edition — Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant — came 43 years after the R&B vocal group released their 1983 teen pop album Candy Girl, which featured such sugary sweet confections as the title track, “Popcorn Love” and “Is This the End.” The Globe noted that it also came after the group was honored last summer with a “New Edition Day” in Boston, with member Bivins telling the paper that despite all their success they still had two major goals left to accomplish.

“We still don’t own a Grammy,” Bivins said at the time. “And we still have aspirations of being in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”

The nomination news came as New Edition is gearing up to launch the New Edition Way tour on Friday (March 13) with guests Boyz II Men and Toni Braxton. They got wind of the nomination via a group text from their managers just days before a gig in Cleveland, Ohio, home of the Rock Hall. DeVoe told the Globe that a few of the members got a chance to ride by the museum to take photos and videos, unaware that within days they’d be nominees.

“It’s just ironic that we’re leaving Cleveland, and here comes this blessing that we have been waiting for, to a certain extent, all of our careers,” said DeVoe. “It was just fitting, like God just presents things in a way where it’s almost confirming.” He also noted that the group is aware that “there’s still work that has to be done,” since a nomination doesn’t guarantee entry and this year’s class is especially large and filled with heavy-hitters. “So those ‘New Edition for life’-ers and family members and everybody have to really begin to put in the real work, but we’re excited about all the possibilities,” he added.

New Edition are among 17 nominees for Rock Hall induction this year, a group that also includes: the Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, Melissa Etheridge, Lauryn Hill, Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, INXS, Iron Maiden, Oasis, P!nk, Sade, Shakira, Luther Vandross and the Wu-Tang Clan.

Selena Gomez was feeling all the love on Sunday (March 8) as she celebrated husband Benny Blanco‘s 38th birthday with an Instagram photo dump that included two glamorous shots from the couple’s September 2025 wedding.

“Happy birthday my love,” Gomez, 33, wrote in the caption. “I love you with all my heart.”

The post opened with a black and white shot of the couple smiling and laughing while seated at what looks like a fancy dinner, followed by a glimpse of the happy newlyweds walking down the aisle at their wedding, with the guests behind them clapping and cheering them on after their vows. That was followed by another glam wedding pic, this one of the pair walking, with Blanco dressed in a classic tuxedo and Gomez wearing a white romantic silk lace off-the-shoulder Ralph Lauren gown.

Elsewhere we saw a snap of Blanco laying a kiss on Gomez’s cheek as he hugged her from behind in an outdoor candid, as well as the couple enjoying tacos and Blanco cooking up a tray of meatballs as Gomez leans on his back with a grin. There are also a few cute shots of them kissing, or about to kiss and one from their date night at this year’s Golden Globes.

The couple, who began dating in summer 2023, were in the news again last week when Gomez went on the producer’s new podcast, Friends Keep Secrets, and made headlines when she sweetly kissed his bare feet a week after he’d caused a scandal on the first episode of the pod by displaying his dirty soles.

While chatting with third host, rapper Dave “Lil Dicky” Burd’s wife Kristin Batalucco, about the pros and cons of putting toddlers on “leashes,” Gomez suddenly leaned over and gently smooched Blanco’s toes, which once again were exposed and propped up on Burd and Batalucco’s coffee table. Blanco couldn’t help but smile as he looked at Burd and asked, “you like that?”

Gomez wasn’t up for being a pawn in the men’s constant game of one-upmanship, though, counseling her husband, “Don’t make it a moment.”

ULTRA Worldwide has revealed the final lineup for ULTRA Beach Gold Coast 2026, with Swedish DJ-producer Alesso set to headline the electronic music festival on Australia’s Gold Coast.

The event will return to Broadwater Parklands in Queensland on April 12, marking the third edition of the beachside festival and its most ambitious installment yet. Organizers say the 2026 edition will expand beyond its previous single-stage format to feature two stages for the first time: the Main Stage and the UMF Radio Stage.

Alesso will top the bill with what organizers describe as an exclusive Australian performance during the upcoming touring cycle. The producer has remained a major presence in global dance music over the past decade with tracks including Billboard Hot 100-charting track “Heroes (We Could Be)” featuring Tove Lo, “Years,” and his remix of OneRepublic’s “If I Lose Myself,” which helped introduce him to a wider international audience.

The lineup also features a number of major electronic music names including The Chainsmokers, DJ Snake, Darren Styles, MaRLo, Nico Moreno and Oliver Heldens.

The Chainsmokers broke through with chart-topping hits like “Closer” featuring Halsey and “Something Just Like This” with Coldplay, while DJ Snake has scored global hits including “Lean On,” his collaboration with Major Lazer and MØ, and “Taki Taki.” Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens, meanwhile, has become a staple of the international house music circuit with releases like “Gecko (Overdrive)” and “Last All Night (Koala).”

Support on the lineup includes Dutch producer KAAZE, alongside a slate of emerging Australian artists scheduled to perform across the two stages. Local acts announced for the event include Ali James, Brooklyn, Fletcher Kirkman, Hektic and Jayrob, along with several back-to-back performances such as Brooklyn b2b Rory, Jayrob b2b Rymak and Justice b2b Sophie Bridges.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate praised the festival’s return in a statement, describing the event as a highlight of the city’s annual major events calendar.

“From Miami to the Gold Coast, this ULTRA Beach festival epitomises everything that’s great about our city,” Tate said.

ULTRA Beach Gold Coast forms part of the wider ULTRA Worldwide festival brand, which began with the Ultra Music Festival in Miami in 1999 and has since expanded into a global network of events across Europe, Asia, South America and Australia.

Tickets for ULTRA Beach Gold Coast 2026 are currently on sale via the festival’s website.

Pop star Rita Ora brought a high-energy pop spectacle to Australia’s Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend in Melbourne, performing for thousands of race fans during the 2026 event.

The singer took the stage Saturday (March 7) during the entertainment programming surrounding the Australian Grand Prix, delivering a hit-packed set that blended dance-pop theatrics with race-day adrenaline at the Albert Park Circuit.

Ora’s appearance added a pop-culture moment to the global sporting event, which traditionally draws major music acts as part of its fan-focused weekend programming. The performance was met with enthusiastic reactions from the crowd gathered at the circuit, many of whom shared clips of the show across social media shortly after she stepped on stage.

Ora has remained a regular presence across music, television and film in recent years. In addition to releasing new music and collaborating with artists across the pop and electronic worlds, she has also appeared as a judge and host on several international TV franchises.

The singer has also spoken publicly about her marriage to filmmaker Taika Waititi, whom she wed in a private ceremony in Los Angeles in 2022. Ora has described the relationship as being built on a strong friendship, and has said that becoming a stepmother to Waititi’s two daughters has shifted her perspective on life.

“It’s changed how I see things,” she has said in interviews, noting that family and everyday moments now carry greater meaning.

The singer, who has been releasing music for more than a decade, recently teased a new project and described her upcoming material as a creative reset following years in the pop spotlight.

Speaking with Billboard earlier this year amid the release of her latest track “All Natural”, Ora said she wanted the new era to feel more “raw” and vocally exposed, noting that she deliberately pushed herself outside of her usual sound while working with producer Joel Little, whose credits include artists such as Lorde and Taylor Swift.

The forthcoming music follows a string of global collaborations and hits across her career, including “Black Widow” with Iggy Azalea and “For You,” her duet with the late Liam Payne from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack.